Exodus 13:17-17:16

Exodus 13:17-17:16New American Standard Bible (NASB)

God Leads the People

17 Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.”18 Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the [a]Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt.19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely [b]take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.”20 Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness.21 The Lord was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might [c]travel by day and by night.22 [d]He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

Pharaoh in Pursuit

14 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,2 “Tell the sons of Israel to turn back and camp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea; you shall camp in front of Baal-zephon, opposite it, by the sea.3 For Pharaoh will say of the sons of Israel, ‘They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’4 Thus I will [e]harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, [f]Pharaoh and his servants had a change of heart toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?”6 So he made his chariot ready and took his people with him;7 and he took six hundred select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.8 The Lord[g]hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he chased after the sons of Israel as the sons of Israel were going out [h]boldly.9 Then the Egyptians chased after them with all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

10 As Pharaoh drew near, the sons of Israel [i]looked, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they became very frightened; so the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord.11 Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, [j]bringing us out of Egypt?12 Is this not the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, ‘[k]Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

The Sea Is Divided

13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not fear! [l]Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever.14 The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.”

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to Me? Tell the sons of Israel to go forward.16 As for you, lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and the sons of Israel shall [m]go through the midst of the sea on dry land.17 As for Me, behold, I will [n]harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.18 Then the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I am honored through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his horsemen.”

19 The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.20 So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel; and there was the cloud [o]along with the darkness, yet it gave light at night. Thus the one did not come near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord[p]swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided.22 The sons of Israel [q]went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.23 Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea.24 At the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the [r]army of the Egyptians [s]through the pillar of fire and cloud and brought the [t]army of the Egyptians into confusion.25 He [u]caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians said, “Let [v]us flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.”27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing [w]right into it; then the Lord[x]overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, [y]even Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained.29 But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.31 When Israel saw the great [z]power which the Lord had [aa]used against the Egyptians, the people [ab]feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in His servant Moses.

The Song of Moses and Israel

15 Then Moses and the sons of Israel sang this song to the Lord, [ac]and said,

“[ad]I will sing to the Lord, for He [ae]is highly exalted;The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.2 “[af]The Lord is my strength and song,And He has become my salvation;This is my God, and I will praise Him;My father’s God, and I will extol Him.3 “The Lord is a warrior;[ag]The Lord is His name.4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea;And the choicest of his officers are [ah]drowned in the [ai]Red Sea.5 “The deeps cover them;They went down into the depths like a stone.6 “Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power,Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.7 “And in the greatness of Your [aj]excellence You overthrow those who rise up against You;You send forth Your burning anger, and it consumes them as chaff.8 “At the blast of Your nostrils the waters were piled up,The flowing waters stood up like a heap;The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea.9 “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil;My [ak]desire shall be [al]gratified against them;I will draw out my sword, my hand will [am]destroy them.’10 “You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;They sank like lead in the [an]mighty waters.11 “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?Who is like You, majestic in holiness,Awesome in praises, working wonders?12 “You stretched out Your right hand,The earth swallowed them.13 “In Your lovingkindness You have led the people whom You have redeemed;In Your strength You have guided themto Your holy habitation.14 “The peoples have heard, they tremble;Anguish has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.15 “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;The leaders of Moab, trembling grips them;All the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.16 “Terror and dread fall upon them;By the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone;Until Your people pass over, O Lord,Until the people pass over whom You have purchased.17 “You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance,The place, O Lord, which You have made for Your dwelling,The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.18 “The Lord shall reign forever and ever.”

19 For the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord brought back the waters of the sea on them, but the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea.

20 Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with [ao]dancing.21 Miriam answered them,

“Sing to the Lord, for He [ap]is highly exalted;The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.”

The Lord Provides Water

22 Then Moses [aq]led Israel from the [ar]Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters [as]of Marah, for they were [at]bitter; therefore it was named [au]Marah.24 So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”25 Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.

There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.26 And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”

27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

The Lord Provides Manna

16 Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt.2 The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.3 The sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of [av]meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My [aw]instruction.5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening [ax]you will know that the Lord has brought you out of the land of Egypt;7 and in the morning [ay]you will see the glory of the Lord, for He hears your grumblings against the Lord; and what are we, that you grumble against us?”

The Lord Provides Meat

8 Moses said, “This will happen when the Lord gives you [az]meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the Lord.”

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for He has heard your grumblings.’”10 It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they [ba]looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.11 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,12 “I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘[bb]At twilight you shall eat [bc]meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp.14 When the layer of dew [bd]evaporated, behold, on the [be]surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground.15 When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “[bf]What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat.16 This is [bg]what the Lord has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man [bh]as much as he should eat; you shall take [bi]an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’”17 The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little.18 When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered [bj]as much as he should eat.19 Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.”20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them.21 They gathered it morning by morning, every man [bk]as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.

The Sabbath Observed

22 Now on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. When all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses,23 then he said to them, “This is what the Lord[bl]meant: Tomorrow is a sabbath observance, a holy sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over [bm]put aside to be kept until morning.”24 So they [bn]put it aside until morning, as Moses had ordered, and it did not become foul nor was there any worm in it.25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field.26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, the sabbath, there will be [bo]none.”

27 It came about on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, but they found none.28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My [bp]instructions?29 See, [bq]the Lord has given you the sabbath; therefore He gives you bread for two days on the sixth day. Remain every man in his place; let no man go out of his place on the seventh day.”30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 The house of Israel named it [br]manna, and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey.32 Then Moses said, “This is [bs]what the Lord has commanded, ‘Let an omerful of it be kept throughout your generations, that they may see the bread that I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”33 Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omerful of manna in it, and place it before the Lord to be kept throughout your generations.”34 As the Lord commanded Moses, so Aaron placed it before the Testimony, to be kept.35 The sons of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabited land; they ate the manna until they came to the border of the land of Canaan.36 (Now an omer is a tenth of an [bt]ephah.)

Water in the Rock

17 Then all the congregation of the sons of Israel journeyed by [bu]stages from the wilderness of Sin, according to the [bv]command of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, and there was no water for the people to drink.2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water that we may drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”3 But the people thirsted there for water; and [bw]they grumbled against Moses and said, “Why, now, have you brought us up from Egypt, to kill [bx]us and [by]our children and [bz]our livestock with thirst?”4 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “What shall I do to this people? A little more and they will stone me.”5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pass before the people and take with you some of the elders of Israel; and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.7 He named the place [ca]Massah and [cb]Meribah because of the quarrel of the sons of Israel, and because they tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?”

Amalek Fought

8 Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim.9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”10 Joshua did as Moses [cc]told him, [cd]and fought against Amalek; and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand [ce]down, Amalek prevailed.12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.13 So Joshua [cf]overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this in [cg]a book as a memorial and [ch]recite it to Joshua, [ci]that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.”15 Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner;16 and he said, “[cj]The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation.”

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